Wasted medicines cost NHS £480m a year and 'could fill 75 swimming pools'

Discarded medicines in England could waste enough to fill 75 swimming pools, according to figures cited by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). The NPA estimates that 3,400 tonnes of partially used medicines were thrown away from 2024 to 2025, costing the NHS at least £480 million each year. Olivier Picard, chairman of the NPA, said medicines must be disposed of once they leave a pharmacy, even if they are unopened. The association urged patients to have more reviews for repeat prescriptions and avoid “over ordering.” A University of Hertfordshire lecturer warned that leftover antibiotics can raise antimicrobial resistance, while an NHS England spokesperson noted campaigns and the NHS app for managing repeats.